Chapter IX - Moste Potente
When Lucius woke up again it was nearly night. Mr. Ming was just by him.
"Ah, Mistel Malfoy, I am happee to see you awake. How do you feel, ahn?"
"I'm a bit dizzy."
"Dizzy, ale you? He he. You will be no dizzy aftel this. Thesa new potion is milacle, ahn!"
Lucius smiled. Mr. Ming was a japanese wizard who had come to Hogwarts by the hand of Prof. Dippet. In one of his travels to the Far-East, the Hogwarts Headmaster had fallen ill with a rare and life-threatening disease. It was Mr. Ming who had recovered his health and Prof. Dippet was so grateful (and so paranoid afterwards) that he made Mr. Ming an offer he couldn't refuse. And Mr. Ming, of course, didn't refuse.
"Thesa flu... Vely bad fol students." Mr. Ming was saying, filling a spoon with a green-greyish potion. "Students go in lain, get cold, then get flu" Lucius took the spoon ("Yuuuuck!") "I have told Plofessol Dippet, I told 'im: Plofessol, thesa flu is a vely selious illness. Even yestelday a new gi'l came in ill, too, anh!" And he pointed at a bed in the far end of the ward. Lucius was still trying to unscrew his face. "But Miss Tonks is looking fal wolse than you, Mistel Malfoy, ahn."
"Al- Miss Tonks is here?" Lucius asked suddenly.
"Found lying in the flool in the Lavenclaw common loom. She is not leacting vely well to potion."
And, shaking his head in concern, he left to take care of Alexis.
Cris walked in a couple of minutes later. "Mr. Ming" she said "I have come to see on Alexis. How is she?"
They exchanged a few words but Lucius saw that as soon as Mr. Ming left the room, she stood up again and headed to his bed.
"Oh, my Lucius" she said, seating next to him and grabbing his hand so strongly it nearly squeezed him "My poor dear sweet Lucius. How are you feeling?"
"Better, I guess." he released his hand. Oooutch... "What happened to your friend?"
"Oh, I dunno. I just found her in the common room this morning, lying on the floor. She had a book by her side. Maybe she went to get the book and fell ill. I dunno."
"A book?" he asked suddenly "What kind of book?"
"An old, ragged, library book, I guess" she said annoyed, stroking his hair "But tell me how you feel."
"Better, better" he said taking her hand from his hair "but was it a brown book with silvery letters-"
"Oh, what do you care about the book?" she asked furiously.
"Well, because I was just looking for a book like I told you. Mr. Ming said it could help me because there are some nice-"
"Help you get better?" she asked, suddenly.
"Yes. He said-"
"How was the book, again?"
"Brown old book, with silvery letters on the cover and a red drawing-"
"And the name?"
"Uh..." yes, Lucius, you idiot, what was the name? "I don't really remember... My head hurts..." and he made the most sweet puppy eyes. Cris leaned over him and stroke his head.
"Poor Lucius. I will get you the book. It might be that one. It looks like what you described."
"Oh, no really, my sweet, forget about the book. I'm just happy you came to see me."
"Oh, no Lucius, if Mr. Ming says it can help you-"
"No, please don't go. Stay here with me." And he looked with his puppy eyes again, but coughed a few times... and shivered for realism.
"No, Lucius, you must get better. I'll get you the book. And I'll return, my dear." She stood up and blew him a kiss "I promise." And she left.
"And don't forget the book." he smiled to himself. How lucky had he been. So, Miss Alexis had probably forgotten the book in the common room and decided that it was too dangerous to let it lay around. So she came back downstairs and grabbed it. But she was probably also feeling ill, spending so much time in the rain and in the cold, only with the uniform...
And now he could explore the book and look for the wonderful spell he had witnessed. Now that the first impression had passed, he was anxious to see what was it all about. What was the spell and why do they need it with such urgency.
He looked at Alexis at the other end of the ward. There was no one else in the Hospital Wing besides the two of them. He stood up and walked to Alexis bed. She was looking in fact worse than him. He touched her forehead. She was burning in fever.
"What were you up to, Miss Alexis? Tell me..."
She moved at the sound of his voice and instinctly grabbed his hand. Lucius looked puzzled for a while. He took his hand off her and looked at her frail appearance. He stood there watching her for longer than he intended. Then he walked slowly to his bed again.
A few minutes later, Cris returned with the book in her hands.
"Lucius, dear, I'm sorry but I can't stay." she said, handing him the book. "They need me at dinner time now at the Great Hall. But I promise I'll come to see you as soon as I can."
"Oh, Cris, must you?"
She kissed him and said "I must. But I'll come later."
"Promise." he asked with a smile.
"Promise, honey. I promise." and she left without a noise.
Lucius was left alone in the silence. He looked at the book for the first time. "Moste Potente Potions". "Appropriate title" he thought, suppressing a grin. "It was potente, all right".
He opened the book somewhere where it seemed Alexis was reading that night. But where to start? He knew the potion was blue and that there was a charm that had to be performed at midnight, Tegomorphus, but he didn't know either the name or the effect.
Maybe Tegomorphus alone could help.
"Tegomorphus, tegomorphus..." he passed the pages, looking for some sign of Tegomorphus in the innumerous potions of the book. It took him more than he expected and he was beginning to wonder how had they even found it in the first place. But finally, in a very damp-spotted page, there it was:
"Tegomorphus - the concealment of changing forms
This complex spell is the combination of a potente potion with a very sensitive charm which much be performed within a precise timing. One of the difficulties in obtaining success is due to these characteristics. When performed correctly, however, the spell will conceal the changing of a form for a whole moon cycle. its effectiveness is impenetrable by forth-degree transfiguration spells and below."
"Uh? Conceal the changing of a form?" he asked bewildered. But he kept on reading.
"The potion preparation takes one moon, while the spell must be performed under the full moon influence, necessary for the integration of the potion into the body. That is why it is critical to know when to perform this immense complex spell." It followed a list of ingredients and a receipt for two potions, which Lucius skipped in his anxiety to understand the implications.
"After this preparation follows the spell itself. The person must drink the Tego potion 3 times: once before the full spell, once just before the spell and once after the spell. The first Tego is drunk one hour before the spell. At the time of the spell, the second Tego is drunk and the Morpheus potion is placed in the areas to conceal. The charm "Tegomorphus" is performed, with a firm wand pointing at the Morpheus potion covering the body. More than one area means more than one charm. The Morpheus potion will turn blood-red. During the full moon peak, the concealment area with the Morpheus potion must be exposed to the full moon, where it will be incorporated by the body and contact, within the body, with the Tego potion. Another Tego potion must be taken, one hour afterwards. The three Tegos and the Morpheus turned by the full moon will fuse and the body shape where the spell was performed will not change it's appearance to human eyes during a whole moon cycle."
Lucius was puzzled. He had read the same thing the girls had read, but it was obvious they had seen something that was beyond him. He turned the page and read "Polyjuice Potion".
A new Potion was described. Nothing more was added about the Tegomorphus. He reread the whole three pages again, this time, reading carefully also the potion ingredients and receipt to see if he could deduce something from it. But when he finished, he was just where he had started: puzzled.
He tried to make some sense out of it.
"From what I understood, this will keep any changing in her body concealed from human eyes. Could this be for Transfiguration? Well, I can ask Professor Dumbledore monday, in classes. But I didn't know we would be performing anything dangerous. No. It can't be. This is stupid. Why would she need it and not the rest of us? And then, there's this urgency, this panic they felt... No... this is much deeper. Let's see. What was she hiding? Her breasts, her bottom and her belly. Well, that's where usually women grow fat. No. Can't be. I can't believe a woman could be so vain as to hide some fattening." he thought with a shrug. "And she doesn't even eat that much. It has to be something else." He tried to change in his mind all those areas. Make them large, make them small, make them blue and hairy, make them grow boils and tentacles... And then he stopped. He stopped as a vague image started to form in his mind. Beyond a bit of fattening, is those parts grew large enough they could mean something else.
He trembled in excitement, trying to recall all the details about the subject. And all the pieces started to fit. One by one, every piece of the big puzzle tangled and Lucius grinned as he looked at the whole picture.
"Why, Andromeda... you're pregnant."
When Lucius woke up again it was nearly night. Mr. Ming was just by him.
"Ah, Mistel Malfoy, I am happee to see you awake. How do you feel, ahn?"
"I'm a bit dizzy."
"Dizzy, ale you? He he. You will be no dizzy aftel this. Thesa new potion is milacle, ahn!"
Lucius smiled. Mr. Ming was a japanese wizard who had come to Hogwarts by the hand of Prof. Dippet. In one of his travels to the Far-East, the Hogwarts Headmaster had fallen ill with a rare and life-threatening disease. It was Mr. Ming who had recovered his health and Prof. Dippet was so grateful (and so paranoid afterwards) that he made Mr. Ming an offer he couldn't refuse. And Mr. Ming, of course, didn't refuse.
"Thesa flu... Vely bad fol students." Mr. Ming was saying, filling a spoon with a green-greyish potion. "Students go in lain, get cold, then get flu" Lucius took the spoon ("Yuuuuck!") "I have told Plofessol Dippet, I told 'im: Plofessol, thesa flu is a vely selious illness. Even yestelday a new gi'l came in ill, too, anh!" And he pointed at a bed in the far end of the ward. Lucius was still trying to unscrew his face. "But Miss Tonks is looking fal wolse than you, Mistel Malfoy, ahn."
"Al- Miss Tonks is here?" Lucius asked suddenly.
"Found lying in the flool in the Lavenclaw common loom. She is not leacting vely well to potion."
And, shaking his head in concern, he left to take care of Alexis.
Cris walked in a couple of minutes later. "Mr. Ming" she said "I have come to see on Alexis. How is she?"
They exchanged a few words but Lucius saw that as soon as Mr. Ming left the room, she stood up again and headed to his bed.
"Oh, my Lucius" she said, seating next to him and grabbing his hand so strongly it nearly squeezed him "My poor dear sweet Lucius. How are you feeling?"
"Better, I guess." he released his hand. Oooutch... "What happened to your friend?"
"Oh, I dunno. I just found her in the common room this morning, lying on the floor. She had a book by her side. Maybe she went to get the book and fell ill. I dunno."
"A book?" he asked suddenly "What kind of book?"
"An old, ragged, library book, I guess" she said annoyed, stroking his hair "But tell me how you feel."
"Better, better" he said taking her hand from his hair "but was it a brown book with silvery letters-"
"Oh, what do you care about the book?" she asked furiously.
"Well, because I was just looking for a book like I told you. Mr. Ming said it could help me because there are some nice-"
"Help you get better?" she asked, suddenly.
"Yes. He said-"
"How was the book, again?"
"Brown old book, with silvery letters on the cover and a red drawing-"
"And the name?"
"Uh..." yes, Lucius, you idiot, what was the name? "I don't really remember... My head hurts..." and he made the most sweet puppy eyes. Cris leaned over him and stroke his head.
"Poor Lucius. I will get you the book. It might be that one. It looks like what you described."
"Oh, no really, my sweet, forget about the book. I'm just happy you came to see me."
"Oh, no Lucius, if Mr. Ming says it can help you-"
"No, please don't go. Stay here with me." And he looked with his puppy eyes again, but coughed a few times... and shivered for realism.
"No, Lucius, you must get better. I'll get you the book. And I'll return, my dear." She stood up and blew him a kiss "I promise." And she left.
"And don't forget the book." he smiled to himself. How lucky had he been. So, Miss Alexis had probably forgotten the book in the common room and decided that it was too dangerous to let it lay around. So she came back downstairs and grabbed it. But she was probably also feeling ill, spending so much time in the rain and in the cold, only with the uniform...
And now he could explore the book and look for the wonderful spell he had witnessed. Now that the first impression had passed, he was anxious to see what was it all about. What was the spell and why do they need it with such urgency.
He looked at Alexis at the other end of the ward. There was no one else in the Hospital Wing besides the two of them. He stood up and walked to Alexis bed. She was looking in fact worse than him. He touched her forehead. She was burning in fever.
"What were you up to, Miss Alexis? Tell me..."
She moved at the sound of his voice and instinctly grabbed his hand. Lucius looked puzzled for a while. He took his hand off her and looked at her frail appearance. He stood there watching her for longer than he intended. Then he walked slowly to his bed again.
A few minutes later, Cris returned with the book in her hands.
"Lucius, dear, I'm sorry but I can't stay." she said, handing him the book. "They need me at dinner time now at the Great Hall. But I promise I'll come to see you as soon as I can."
"Oh, Cris, must you?"
She kissed him and said "I must. But I'll come later."
"Promise." he asked with a smile.
"Promise, honey. I promise." and she left without a noise.
Lucius was left alone in the silence. He looked at the book for the first time. "Moste Potente Potions". "Appropriate title" he thought, suppressing a grin. "It was potente, all right".
He opened the book somewhere where it seemed Alexis was reading that night. But where to start? He knew the potion was blue and that there was a charm that had to be performed at midnight, Tegomorphus, but he didn't know either the name or the effect.
Maybe Tegomorphus alone could help.
"Tegomorphus, tegomorphus..." he passed the pages, looking for some sign of Tegomorphus in the innumerous potions of the book. It took him more than he expected and he was beginning to wonder how had they even found it in the first place. But finally, in a very damp-spotted page, there it was:
"Tegomorphus - the concealment of changing forms
This complex spell is the combination of a potente potion with a very sensitive charm which much be performed within a precise timing. One of the difficulties in obtaining success is due to these characteristics. When performed correctly, however, the spell will conceal the changing of a form for a whole moon cycle. its effectiveness is impenetrable by forth-degree transfiguration spells and below."
"Uh? Conceal the changing of a form?" he asked bewildered. But he kept on reading.
"The potion preparation takes one moon, while the spell must be performed under the full moon influence, necessary for the integration of the potion into the body. That is why it is critical to know when to perform this immense complex spell." It followed a list of ingredients and a receipt for two potions, which Lucius skipped in his anxiety to understand the implications.
"After this preparation follows the spell itself. The person must drink the Tego potion 3 times: once before the full spell, once just before the spell and once after the spell. The first Tego is drunk one hour before the spell. At the time of the spell, the second Tego is drunk and the Morpheus potion is placed in the areas to conceal. The charm "Tegomorphus" is performed, with a firm wand pointing at the Morpheus potion covering the body. More than one area means more than one charm. The Morpheus potion will turn blood-red. During the full moon peak, the concealment area with the Morpheus potion must be exposed to the full moon, where it will be incorporated by the body and contact, within the body, with the Tego potion. Another Tego potion must be taken, one hour afterwards. The three Tegos and the Morpheus turned by the full moon will fuse and the body shape where the spell was performed will not change it's appearance to human eyes during a whole moon cycle."
Lucius was puzzled. He had read the same thing the girls had read, but it was obvious they had seen something that was beyond him. He turned the page and read "Polyjuice Potion".
A new Potion was described. Nothing more was added about the Tegomorphus. He reread the whole three pages again, this time, reading carefully also the potion ingredients and receipt to see if he could deduce something from it. But when he finished, he was just where he had started: puzzled.
He tried to make some sense out of it.
"From what I understood, this will keep any changing in her body concealed from human eyes. Could this be for Transfiguration? Well, I can ask Professor Dumbledore monday, in classes. But I didn't know we would be performing anything dangerous. No. It can't be. This is stupid. Why would she need it and not the rest of us? And then, there's this urgency, this panic they felt... No... this is much deeper. Let's see. What was she hiding? Her breasts, her bottom and her belly. Well, that's where usually women grow fat. No. Can't be. I can't believe a woman could be so vain as to hide some fattening." he thought with a shrug. "And she doesn't even eat that much. It has to be something else." He tried to change in his mind all those areas. Make them large, make them small, make them blue and hairy, make them grow boils and tentacles... And then he stopped. He stopped as a vague image started to form in his mind. Beyond a bit of fattening, is those parts grew large enough they could mean something else.
He trembled in excitement, trying to recall all the details about the subject. And all the pieces started to fit. One by one, every piece of the big puzzle tangled and Lucius grinned as he looked at the whole picture.
"Why, Andromeda... you're pregnant."